The Reiah Hotel Otsu Ishiyama – Just Right for a Visit in Kyoto

One of the biggest advice on saving hotels in Japan is to look for a hotel that is not in the center of whichever major city you are visiting.

For example while visiting Kyoto, I booked the Reiah Hotel Otsu Ishiyama. It’s a 2 star business hotel situated in Biwako, which has a train station that is only 4 stops (15 mins.) away from Kyoto Station via Special Rapid Train on the Biwako Line.

How to Get to Reiah Hotel

And the Reiah Hotel Otsu Ishiyama is a short 5 minute walk from Ishiyama Station. Once you get to the station I recommend asking for assistance at the station booth. Train staff know exactly where the hotel is and they’ll pull out a photocopied map and tell you which way to go.

One key landmark is a McDonald’s restaurant on a corner of the block. Once you see McDonald’s you’ll have no problem at all finding the hotel.

Not a Fancy Hotel – But It’s Comfortable and Clean

The Reiah Hotel Otsu Ishiyama is a 2 star business hotel. All over Japan there are many 2 star business classed hotels meant for local business travelers either in town for business or for white collared workers who missed that last train. Remember, Japanese trains stop service between midnight and 1AM.

Small rooms, but that shouldn’t be a surprise…

It is common that 2 star business hotels all over Japan have small rooms. And I have stayed in many around Tokyo and elsewhere and I can say most of these budget rooms are 15 square meters. I have to admit though with two people in a 15 square meter room such as the ones at Reiah Hotel Otsu Ishiyama it may seem way too cozy. But you do get used to it.

The bathroom… small but functional…

The bathroom at first sight is shockingly small. But you’ll soon learn to get used to it too. I’m 6 foot tall but there is clearance above my head. There is a bathtub but if I sit in it my knees would be sticking up. Soap, shampoo and even toothpaste and toothbrush are provided.

Even though the Reiah is a budget business class hotel we didn’t see a lot of local business guests. We mainly came across foreign tourists. These days, since travel to Japan is becoming more accessible to Southeast Asia travelers budget 2 star hotels like the Reiah are welcoming more neighboring foreigners.

This is the first budget business class hotel in Japan I stayed in that offered free breakfast…

What might also attract a lot of tourists to this hotel too is the free breakfast. They don’t have a huge spread. Though what they do have will definitely fill you up for a day of sightseeing.

Hotel cafeteria with free breakfast buffet…

Curry with rice, scrambled eggs with bacon. There’s also congee with pickles, a more traditional Japanese breakfast too. And of course there’s an assortment of breads and fruits.

This is a very clean hotel. It’s not big with only about 80 rooms. But it’s quite modern because it was renovated back in 2011. There’s even a small laundry room where you can wash your clothes at a very affordable price. So you won’t need to pack too much clothes on your trip.

The Reiah Hotel Otsu Ishiyama is a very good budget choice hotel for visiting Kyoto. But from this hotel’s location you can also conveniently visit other major cities such as Osaka and Kobe by taking the trains from Kyoto Station like we did.

There really isn’t much to do around the hotel’s area however. But my wife and I still enjoyed walking around. It’s peaceful, quiet and a lot less hectic than staying in the city.